Small marine outboard motors, such as would be used on fishing boats are expensive and unfortunately, portable. The smaller trolling motors in the 6-10 horsepower range can cost in excess of $5,000 and weigh less than 100 pounds. They are also generally mated to the transom of a boat only by a pair of cap screws. Since boats out of the water are frequently unattended for extended periods of time, these motors create a magnet for thieves.
To remove a small marine outboard motor from a boat out of the water, all the thief need do is disconnect the fuel line (which is connected to the fuel tank with a quick connect release coupling), unscrew the two cap screws on the motor mounting bracket and lift the motor off the boat transom. This can generally be accomplished in less than a minute.
To date the solutions are to drill additional holes through the boat's transom and modify the mounting bracket's capscrews with bolts and to fabricate spacers so the motor can be bolted to the transom. This just slows down the theft process because it only adds the need for bolt cutters. Another solution is to weld the outboard motor mounting bracket to the transom (where the boat is aluminum or steel). This is a great solution, however it requires the welds to be ground off each time the motor has to be serviced, or taken off the boat for storage.
Henceforth, a boat outboard motor lock that can work with a plethora of different manufacturer's motors to secure the motor against theft without modification to the motor or boat, would fulfill a long felt need in the marine industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this.